<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>tea break by darlingtimes</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25321525">tea break</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingtimes/pseuds/darlingtimes'>darlingtimes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A3! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, because no one is immune to izumi tachibana, developing crush</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:28:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>908</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25321525</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/darlingtimes/pseuds/darlingtimes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Izumi invites Igawa in for tea, and they have a nice little chat.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Igawa (A3!)/Tachibana Izumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>A3! Rare Pairs Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>tea break</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>prompts: domesticity/goodbyes, kept loosely in mind!</p>
<p>honestly? this feels like the first chapter of a incredibly slow-burn slice-of-life romance that doesn't have a continuation. but i really love igawa and i really love izumi, so i hope you enjoy nevertheless!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sorry, he should wrap up soon. I know you must be on a busy schedule, but they made a couple breakthroughs today and wanted to do a full run-through to work out some of the kinks on their own. Also sorry that we ran out of coffee!”</p>
<p>Izumi smiled and set a cup of steaming tea in front of Igawa, who had mysteriously ended up at Mankai dining room table today. Usually, he’d just pop in and out or just wait outside in his car for Tenma, but when the boy didn’t pick up his phone and Igawa knocked on the door, Izumi had swept him up in a storm of warm hospitality--so here he was now.</p>
<p>“No need to apologize, I’m actually running early. And the tea smells great... From Zahra, was it?” He inhaled the spiced steam and took a sip. “It tastes delicious, too. Thank you for going through the trouble.”</p>
<p>Izumi nodded and pulled out a chair to sit down across from him with her own drink. “It’s no problem at all! You looked a little tired, honestly, so I thought I could give you a little pick-me-up for the rest of your day. From what I hear, you’re busy day in, day out managing Tenma.” Seeing Igawa self-consciously raise his hand to his face, she hastily finished with, “Oh, but you don’t look terrible or anything!”</p>
<p>Igawa lowered his hand sheepishly and said, “No, you’re right, I probably do look tired. I appreciate your concern.”</p>
<p>Unsure of what else to say, he picked up his cup again. He was a little embarrassed that he looked visibly tired--this is the face he needed for meetings, after all--but it was sort of nice being treated like this. It reminded him of visiting a friend’s home and sitting alone with their really nice mom, except the friend was Tenma, and the mom was pretty and Igawa’s age--er, he meant Tenma’s general director. But anyway, it was a little awkward, but mostly pleasant.</p>
<p>Oh, right, Tenma would probably be a good topic for small talk.</p>
<p>“It’s a little late for this, but thank you for--”</p>
<p>“Mmm…!”</p>
<p>Igawa was interrupted by a loud noise of pure contentment.</p>
<p>Izumi opened her eyes and flushed red. “Sorry, were you saying something? I didn’t mean to cut you off! I, um, the cardamom was just really good, and this is actually the first time I’ve tried this tea blend--one of the boys got it for me, and it really did have some curry essence! I’ll have to look at the other flavors from this brand… Ah, but you know what, don’t mind me! Please, talk!”</p>
<p>The times he’d met her before, she hadn’t preached any sermons, but based on that expression of pure bliss on her face he figured that everything Tenma had told him about her passion for curry was no joke. Stifling some laughter, Igawa put his cup down and cleared his throat.</p>
<p>“I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of Tenma this past year. The Mankai Company has given him…” He hesitated for a second. “A lot, by way of acting experience and human connections.” That’d have to do, in place of <em> you’ve surrounded him in warmth and everything he deserves in a home</em>. “I’m glad to see he’s in good hands with you, Tachibana.”</p>
<p>Face softening (her face seemed to constantly morph to reflect everything she felt, Igawa noticed--it was endearing), Izumi replied, “No, no, we’re delighted to have him. He’s a great kid with an incredible drive for acting.”</p>
<p>Igawa nodded, unaware of the corners of his mouth pulling up to mirror Izumi’s. Maybe it was the tea or the cozy, friendly atmosphere, but he had a feeling he’d be far more refreshed after this break than the short naps he took in the car.</p>
<p>“I said I brought you in here for a pick-me-up, but it sort of just feels like a parent-teacher conference, doesn’t it?”</p>
<p>“Ahaha, that’s… Probably because I’m used to formal pleasantries. Occupational hazard. I promise that I meant my appreciation, though!”</p>
<p>“Glad to hear it! By the way--you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to talk about your job right now, but theater and film are pretty different, and I was wondering...”</p>
<p>They chatted for a few more minutes, exchanging words about this and that at a comfortable pace--Igawa was surprised to learn that Izumi had jumped straight into directing a troupe in debt without any experience, having only secured his own job after a few years of interning--when Tenma came in from the rehearsal room, bag in hand.</p>
<p>“I’m ready to go, Igawa!”</p>
<p>Igawa put his tea cup down and stood up. “Thanks for the tea, Tachibana. Er...” Have a nice day? Goodbye? Something about those felt… final, or distant. Though, he supposed they weren’t really close.</p>
<p>Almost as if she had read his mind, Izumi grinned and said, “No problem! I enjoyed our time together. Feel free to drop in whenever you come by, Igawa!”</p>
<p>Igawa smiled back, a little relieved. So he could talk with her again. “Another time, then!”</p>
<p>Tenma patted Igawa’s back and muttered, “You got a lotta competition ahead of you, buddy,” as he passed him on the way out.</p>
<p>Before his face could turn red at what Tenma had said, Igawa ducked out of the front door after the boy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading!!</p>
<p>(mayhaps i have igawa brainrot. but read act 10... listen to his adorable voice and stan igawa... see him care tenma and stan igawa... even just look at his sprite and stan igawa... shameless plug, read <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24775312">my fic</a> and stan igawa...)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>